Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

 Wow! This is my fourth book by T. Kingfisher, I think, and so far, I don't think I've given a single book of hers anything less than four stars. Her books have the atmosphere of a Hayao Miyazaki movie, in that they are often themed on life, death, and what it means to be human, so even the monsters have human sides, and the humans are often shown to be at least part monster themselves. But they're always saved from being too dark by having a lot of humor and heart. I LOVE THEM.

Marra is the youngest princess in a royal family with three daughters. Both of her older sisters have been married to an evil prince. The first one died and things aren't looking good for the second one, which is why when we meet Marra, she's in a land filled with cannibals and dead things, working her infected fingers to the bone as she makes a pet bone-dog out of bones and wires: the second of three impossible tasks.

I don't want to spoil this book for anyone so I don't want to say too much, but it follows the traditional hero's journey format with multiple fairytale references for those in the know. It's also got a fabulous cast: an aging himbo warrior, a not-so-fairy godmother, a witch of the dead, a demon chicken, and of course, the dog made of bones. Animal sidekicks are hard to pull off without being twee, but Kingfisher is an expert. I loved Bonedog, Finder, and Demon Hen.

There aren't actually a lot of authors out there I would want to sit down and have tea with, but Kingfisher is one of those authors who I think would just be really, really fun in person. I love her gentle wit and the sense of humanity she gives her characters, and her author's notes always kind of remind me of the breathless bonhomie of Ilona and Gordon Andrews. I hope I can meet her some day. But failing that, I'll definitely continue auto-buying her books one after the other, because she's awesome and I stan.

4 out of 5 stars